Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer passionately expresses his desire to have Johnny Depp back for more Pirates films. Pirates of the Caribbean saw its last iteration in 2017 with the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. A sequel, which will be the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film has since been announced. Unlike its five predecessors, however, Depp will not be returning as Captain Jack Sparrow.

If it were up to Bruckheimer, however, Depp would return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Speaking with Deadline, Bruckheimer sung Depp’s praises, speaking well of both his talents and character. Check out the full quote from Bruckheimer:

While Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow seems unlikely to return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, audiences can find a silver lining in the sequel’s choice of screenwriter, original Pirates of the Caribbean scribe Ted Elliott. As of August 2022, it does not look like Johnny Depp will be back as Jack Sparrow in the long-delayed sequel Pirates of the Caribbean 6. However, the sequel’s screenwriter could guarantee that the much-delayed franchise installment will still feel like a classic Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Legendary blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently confirmed that the sequel is happening only a few months after he admitted that were two separate sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movies being worked on at the same time and neither was complete. While the status of Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff isn’t clear, what is clear is that a direct sequel titled Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is currently being written. It is also being scripted by one of the original movie’s screenwriters, a promising development for the series.

Original Pirates of the Caribbean co-writer Ted Elliott is currently writing Pirates of the Caribbean 6, bringing his “great command of the characters” to the project according to Bruckheimer. While the absence of Depp’s Jack Sparrow may leave some fans feeling like Pirates of the Caribbean 6 won’t be able to recapture the feeling of the earlier movies in the series, Elliott’s pedigree might dispel that notion. As well as working on the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Elliott was also involved in some of the biggest blockbusters of the 90s and 00s.

Why Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Update Is Exciting

One of the biggest blockbuster screenwriters of the 21st century, Ted Elliott had a hand in all five of the original Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the National Treasure franchise, both of the Zorro movies, and Shrek. He also has credits on the original, animated Aladdin and Joe Dante's underrated Small Soldiers and, although his career does include some duds like Treasure Planet and The Lone Ranger, even these financially disappointing outings were later seen as under-appreciated by critics if not audiences. Elliott’s career is one of the more impressive blockbuster screenwriting runs in recent Hollywood history, with most of his projects garnering solid reviews if not outright acclaim.

However, audiences might reasonably remain unconvinced of the potential of Pirates of the Caribbean 6. After all, Pirates of the Caribbean’s later, lesser sequels were disliked by casual audiences and critics alike, and Elliott was involved in their scriptwriting process. Not only that, but Elliott wrote the original Pirates of the Caribbean with long-time writing partner Terry Rossio, who has not yet been announced as one of the Pirates of the Caribbean 6 scribes. As such, the fact that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 has brought back a pivotal piece of the franchise’s successful creative team might not be enough to convince some skeptical viewers. That said, the chances of Pirates of the Caribbean 6 feeling like a legitimate Pirates of the Caribbean franchise installment despite Depp’s likely absence feel a lot stronger now.

One of the original Pirates of the Caribbean writers is returning for the franchise's next film. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise began as a film inspired by a Disney attraction, with the first movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, hitting theaters in 2003. Curse of the Black Pearl impressed critics and audiences, becoming a global blockbuster, making over $650 million worldwide. Gore Verbinski was at the helm, directing a cast that included Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, and Johnny Depp in his first go-around playing Captain Jack Sparrow, a character that would become beloved among fans while also nabbing Depp a Best Actor Academy Award nomination.

Following the success of The Curse of the Black Pearl, two sequels were shot back to back, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Both films received mediocre reviews but still managed to outdo the original in terms of box office revenue. Having wrapped up stories for Knightley's Elizabeth Swann and Bloom's Will Turner, the franchise then moved on with Depp's Sparrow becoming the sole focus in the following two sequels, 2011's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. And while both films still found financial success, they received the worst reviews in the franchise, which has been dormant since. However, a new movie is said to be in development.

According to Comicbook, Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer stated that one of the original writers of the franchise, Ted Elliott, is returning to work on the next installment. However, Bruckheimer didn't mention any details about what to expect from the story but ensured the script is actively being written. Check out Bruckheimer's comments about the new Pirates of the Caribbean film below: